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Island History: A spotlight on stories from the Outer Banks’ Lif ...

April 25, 2024 | Island Features | By: Jen Carlson

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (CLSS) is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, as one of the seven original Life-Saving Stations to be built in North Carolina in 1874. As such, the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Historic Site in Rodanthe will be sharing stories about the seven 1874 Outer Banks stations in the months ahead, leading [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration contractor plans to activate ...

April 24, 2024 | Local News | By: Joy Crist

The contractor for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse restoration project, Stone and Lime Historic Restoration Services, plans to switch the lighthouse’s source of light from the current beacon to a temporary, fixed beacon on the evening of Thursday, April 25. “This [new] tiny beacon can project 18 miles out into the ocean, it’s U.S. Coast Guard approved, [...] Local News |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Elementary School’s April Storm Report

April 24, 2024 | Community News Brief

The Cape Hatteras Elementary School (CHEM) publishes a monthly newsletter called The Storm Report for students, parents, supporters, and friends. The newsletter is a nod to the school’s mascot, the Cape Hatteras Tropical Storms. The newsletter covers everything from upcoming special events to recent initiatives in art, technology, music, media, and more. It is a [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Nonprofit dedicated to saving the 1898 Oregon Inlet Life-Saving St ...

April 24, 2024 | Island Features | By: James D. “Keeper James” Charlet | 1

Its name is the Outer Banks Coast Guard History Preservation Group. The broad name is to match its broad objective, starting with rescuing the 1898 Oregon Inlet U.S. Life-Saving Service (LSS) Station No. 16. Here is the Oregon Inlet LSS Station’s brief background, or ‘How It Got into This Mess.’ It started in 1988 when [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Gracie

April 22, 2024 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on this pet, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/

Buxton Civic Association launches online petition for immediate ac ...

April 22, 2024 | Local News | By: Joy Crist | 1

The Buxton Civic Association (BCA) recently launched a Change.org petition to encourage the public to demand an immediate solution for the environmental and public safety hazards at Buxton Beach. The online petition is part of a flood of recent initiatives by the BCA to quickly facilitate a resolution for the roughly 500-yard shoreline at the end of [...] Local News |  Full Article

Donald Christopher Oden

April 19, 2024 | Local News

NOVEMBER 2, 1977 – APRIL 16, 2024 On April 16, 2024, Donald Christopher Oden, 46, of Orange Park, Florida, passed away. Born November 2, 1977, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Don was the precious son of Jane Oden and the late Dan Oden, Sr. Don is survived by his partner, Jennifer Rodriguez; his brother, Dan [...] Local News |  Full Article

SELC joins Buxton Civic Association to push for action at Buxton Beach

April 16, 2024 | Local News | By: Joy Crist | 1

The Buxton Civic Association has joined forces with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) to push for the immediate remediation of a 500-yard section of Buxton shoreline. The Buxton Civic Association (BCA) was formed in early April to create a united community voice for the growing public safety and environmental issues that have stemmed from [...] Local News |  Full Article

Federal grant to pay for study of N.C. Highway 12 on Pea Island

April 15, 2024 | Local News | By: Sam Walker | 3

From SamWalkerOBXNews.com A federal grant aimed at improving transportation resiliency will pay for a study of options for the future of N.C. 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that $1.8 million has been earmarked for the study of the 11-mile section [...] Local News |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras National Seashore reports more than 331,000 visitors during the first three months of 2024

April 26, 2024 | Seashore News

With 311,384 visitors recorded in the first three months of 2024, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) is on track to have another busy year. Per statistics from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, CHNS recorded 154,935 visitors in March, 79,256 visitors in February, and 77,193 visitors in January. In recent history, this is a higher total than 2023, which had 297,267 visitors for January through March, but less than record-breaking 2021. 2021, (which was during the height of the pandemic), had the highest visitation ever recorded, and was also the first time that CHNS visitation surpassed the 3 million mark. In 2023, the CHNS received a total of 2,826,169 visitors, which made it the fourth busiest year at the National Seashore on record, behind only 2021, 2002, and 2022. Visitor totals for the past five years, per the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau’s statistics, are listed below. Sea [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

FAQs for Buxton Beach added to Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s ...

April 16, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) has added a new FAQ section to its Buxton Beach webpage in order to provide essential information on the evolving public safety and environmental issues that are occurring along a 500-yard stretch of Buxton shoreline. “Frequently asked questions for the Buxton Beach Access closure were developed by [the] Cape [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Bodie Island Lighthouse opens for climbing on April 19

April 15, 2024 | Seashore News | By: Joy Crist

The Bodie Island Lighthouse, recognized by its unique horizontal black and white stripes, will open for climbing this year beginning Friday, April 19. Climbing tickets go on sale at 7 a.m. and may only be purchased on the same day of your intended climb. Tickets are only available for purchase at www.recreation.gov/ticket/252034/ticket/10087143. Pro tip: Create your www.recreation.gov account [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

REMINDER: Cape Hatteras National Seashore will host public meeting ...

March 27, 2024 | Seashore News

On Wednesday, March 27, from 6-7 p.m., the public is invited to receive updates on the status of petroleum contamination and hazardous infrastructure remediation at Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s (CHNS) Buxton Beach Access. The public meeting will occur at the Fessenden Center, which is located at 46830 N.C. Highway 12 in Buxton, North Carolina. Following [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Portsmouth Island Homecoming returns for 2024 on April 27

April 25, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Every two years, deserted Portsmouth Island comes alive with hundreds of descendants, friends, and visitors during a springtime event that honors the once-thriving village’s roots, and rekindles the island’s inherent sense of community. The event that brings everyone together is the Portsmouth Island Homecoming, and the more than 30-year tradition is once again returning for 2024. The 2024 Homecoming will be focused on the Lifesaving Station, and updates and announcements from the host organization Friends of Portsmouth Island will be posted in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Friends of Portsmouth Island (FPI), which was formed in 1989, sponsored its first homecoming event on April 25, 1992, although similar Homecoming-style gatherings have occurred since 1973. Since then, the biennial gathering has attracted hundreds of family members, as well as newcomers, who tend to [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Nonprofit dedicated to saving the 1898 Oregon Inlet Life-Saving St ...

April 24, 2024 | Island Features | By: James D. “Keeper James” Charlet | 1

Its name is the Outer Banks Coast Guard History Preservation Group. The broad name is to match its broad objective, starting with rescuing the 1898 Oregon Inlet U.S. Life-Saving Service (LSS) Station No. 16. Here is the Oregon Inlet LSS Station’s brief background, or ‘How It Got into This Mess.’ It started in 1988 when [...] Island Features |  Full Article

CHSS Theater Program’s biggest production yet, “The Li ...

April 19, 2024 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

Since December 2023, the talented students at Cape Hatteras Secondary School (CHSS) have been working hard to launch one of their most ambitious theater productions yet. The upcoming production of “The Little Mermaid,” which is hitting the stage April 19-21, has a crew of approximately 100 students and volunteers working behind the scenes, perfecting every [...] Island Features |  Full Article

Dare Housing Task Force to convene special April 22 meeting with state senators

April 22, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Mark Jurkowitz

From OuterBanksVoice.com Following up on a decision taken at the April 16 Dare County Housing Task Force meeting, that group will hold a special meeting on Monday, April 22 at 3:30 p.m. with State Senators Norman Sanderson and Bobby Hanig. The agenda for the meeting states it is being called to “discuss the housing challenges that are currently affecting the community.” At that April 16 meeting, The Task Force agreed to reach out to legislators in Raleigh and invite them to meet to hear feedback that will likely include a discussion of changing the legislation that provided $35 million in state funding for affordable housing in Dare County. That money came with a major string attached, a provision that restricted Dare County municipalities’ from regulating housing developments within their borders. That provision generated a lawsuit from the six Dare County towns and a resolution [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Dare Housing Task Force wants to incorporate more community voices ...

April 18, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Mark Jurkowitz

From OuterBanksVoice.com Meeting one week after the county commissioners voted to cut ties with its remaining affordable housing partner and return $35 million in housing funds to the state, the Dare County Housing Task Force made several decisions on how to move forward—including one that involves broadening and restructuring the group. Following the suggestion of [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

State offering free flood insurance online conferences this year

March 28, 2024 | Real Estate | By: Sam Walker

From SamalkerOBXNews.com Five online conferences will be held between April and October to provide vital information regarding the need for flood insurance in North Carolina. The 2024 conferences will be similar to the ones offered in 2022 through WebEx, and will be free of charge to the public, insurance agents, adjusters, real estate agents, engineers, [...] Real Estate |  Full Article

Hearing set on new fishing catch reporting requirement

April 26, 2024 | Fishing | By: Trista Talton

From CoastalReview.org Coastal recreational and commercial fishermen will have to report certain fish harvests under a new North Carolina law that takes effect later this year. Preliminary details are scant as to how the two state agencies tasked with overseeing the reporting requirements will implement the program, one that is slated to be discussed during a combined virtual public hearing next week. The N.C. Marine Fisheries and N.C. Wildlife Resources commissions have opened a public comment period ending May 20 on the temporary rules, which were established under the North Carolina General Assembly’s Regulatory Reform Act of 2023. The mandatory harvest reporting requirements were tucked into the controversial law, one environmental advocates referred to as a “pro-polluter” bill for cutting favors to industries that control hog and poultry farming, discharge per- and polyfluoroa [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras Elementary School’s April Storm Report

April 24, 2024 | Community News Brief

The Cape Hatteras Elementary School (CHEM) publishes a monthly newsletter called The Storm Report for students, parents, supporters, and friends. The newsletter is a nod to the school’s mascot, the Cape Hatteras Tropical Storms. The newsletter covers everything from upcoming special events to recent initiatives in art, technology, music, media, and more. It is a [...] Community News Brief |  Full Article

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA Pet of the Week Gracie

April 22, 2024 | Community News Brief

Meet the Outer Banks SPCA pet of the week, courtesy of their latest video produced by Dare County’s CURRENT TV. For more information on this pet, and the many other Outer Banks pets currently up for adoption, visit the Outer Banks SPCA website at https://www.obxspca.org/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/obxspca/

Michelle “Micky” Montague

April 26, 2024 | Obituaries

Long-time Wanchese citizen Michelle “Micky” Montague, 64, died unexpectedly in Manteo. NC April 23, 2024 of natural causes. Micky was honest, funny, down-to- earth, and kind. She adored her family and friends all over the Outer Banks. Survivors include her daughter, Gretchen Montague of Manteo; her son, James Montague of Michigan; five grandchildren (and one [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Alexander M. Engart, Jr

April 26, 2024 | Obituaries

Alexander M. Engart, Jr. died peacefully April 19, 2024 in Nags Head, NC at the age of 78. Mr. Engart was a longtime resident of Southern Shores, NC. For many years, he worked as a successful local architect. Survivors of Mr, Engart include several cousins and their families. Plans for memorial services are pending at [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

George S. Garrick

April 25, 2024 | Obituaries

On April 21, 2024, George S. Garrick, a lifelong resident of the Outer Banks and Currituck, passed away at the age of 73. George graduated from J.P. Knapp, in Currituck, in 1968. He worked in many different occupations throughout his life, including retail grocery, mobile home sales, real estate, and building supply sales. George was [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Michael Ray Zona

April 25, 2024 | Obituaries

May 3, 1947 to April 21, 2024 Michael left this earth at his Southern Shores home with his wife Geri by his side.  Michael was born to Ruth Harriet Hughes Zona and Albert Joseph (Bucky) Zona on May 3, 1947 in Greensburg, PA, just minutes behind his twin sister, Michele.  His parents as well as [...] Obituaries |  Full Article

Ronald H. Williams

April 17, 2024 | Obituaries

April 10, 1948 – April 14, 2024 WAVES — Ronald H. Williams was born on April 10, 1948, in Manteo, NC, and peacefully passed away on April 14, 2024, at the age of 76 in Waves, NC. A man of few words, Ronald had the biggest impact on the lives of those around him. Retired [...] Obituaries |  Full Article